Shadowy Encounter
by PenDiva1
Summary: Cedric Diggory is patrolling the hallways of Hogwarts when he meets an unexpected stranger, who seems to know too many things about Cedric. **Written for my own Dialogue Challenge
**Shadowy Encounter**

 **By: PenDiva**

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Harry Potter.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I wrote this as an example for a Challenge that I am posting on the HPFC forum, and I am decently proud of it. Anyone who wants to participate in the challenge it is called the Dialogue Challenge and only one sentence is  
not allowed to be dialogue.

...

The Hufflepuff prefect patrolled the dimly lit hallways of Hogwarts with a tense posture, and as he rounded the corner of a hallway barely traversed he noticed someone with an unyielding gaze standing in the shadows.

"Show yourself, step out from the shadows."

"Certainly," the student in Slytherins robes replied.

Upon seeing him without a prefects badge Cedric Diggory said, "Why don't you go back to your dormitory. Students should not be out at this time of night."

"Yes, because that's where the students will be safe…"

"I'm sorry?"

"How long have you been at school here?"

Cedric replied bluntly, "I am in my fifth year."

"Working hard for your O.W.L's I assume?"

"Of course-"

"Always one to make daddy proud aren't you," the wavy-haired boy sneered.

"Excuse me, but who are you?"

"Oh I think you've heard of me."

"Sorry, I don't think I have, now if you wouldn't mind telling me why you are out in this side of the castle at this hour?"

"That's a complicated answer."

"It wasn't a complicated question."

After a lengthy pause the mysterious youth replied, "Who is the potions master at Hogwarts?"

"Are you joking?" Cedric gaped. "Professor Snape, of course. Aren't you a student here?"

"I _was_ a student here," he said smiling.

"I don't understand," Cedric said while gripping his wand from underneath his robe.

"Horace Slughorn taught potions in my time, so you will find that looks can be deceiving and I am not what you might think. You look terribly confused. All you need to know is that my time here has past, however my involvement here and in the future of  
our wizarding world is far from over."

Cedric spoke in a soft voice, "What are you talking about?"

"You enjoy Quidditch?"

"What- I- I'm a seeker… but that's beside the point-"

"I'm sure your father looks forward to the day he can say that his son helped his team achieve the Quidditch cup?"

"Why do you keep bringing up my father? And of course he wants me to do well in Quidditch."

"Do you ever wonder why you got put in Hufflepuff? The hodgepodge group of students that didn't belong in any other house that were labeled as loyal because there was no other niceadjective to use?"

"That's rather harsh and untrue, but I'm assuming the Sorting Hat was accurate when he put you into Slytherin," Cedric said unsettled by this boy's attitude and cunning smile.

"Yes… I always did have a thing with snakes…"

"You still haven't answered any of my questions though. Who are you - a student? And why do you care about my father?"

"It is your own obsession with what your father thinks that made me mention him…."

"I'm sorry-what? I don't know what you're talking about and I'm not obsessed with what my father thinks!"

"Precisely, or at least that is what you try to believe. You hide behind the truth."

"What truth!"

The Slytherin had to smile at the other boy's oblivion to his talent with occlumency as he said, "You dream of making your father proud. You won't admit it, but his praising words to you are preciousssss...invaluable."

"You don't know that," Cedric whispered while lowering his wand to his side. "Most times I am embarrassed by what my father says about me-"

"Are you though? You should be lucky to have him. I was never particularly close or fond of my own father."

"I'm sorry about that, but I am sure he would be proud of you for something."

The boy's dark eyes flicked down briefly, "What is your wand made of?"

"Sorry?"

"Your wand."

Cedric held it up as he said, "It's made from ash and it has a Unicorn hair core."

"Powerful piece of wood, I'm sure, to match an equally powerful wizard."

Cedric gave an unsteady response, "It does what I need it to."

"May I take a look at it?" the boy said eagerly.

"No," Cedric could swear he saw the boys face turn sour, but then he smiled cruelly.

"I only wanted to look at it, I mean no harm."

"Then why do I feel like I shouldn't trust you," Cedric said glaring. "Where is your own wand?"

"I do not wish to reveal where I keep it hidden."

"Fine then."

With a step forward the youth said, "You and I are not as different as you might think. We have more in common then you would care to acknowledge."

Cedric quickly said, "Why do you think you know so much about me?"

The boy stopped searching the Hufflepuff's mind for one moment so that he could say, "There are many things that are never taught in a school. You're ambitious, and, surprisingly enough you even have some Gryffindor courage."

"Stop that. Stop pretending like you know more about myself than I do."

"But I'm not pretending," the boy said wearing a sly expression.

"Whatever you're doing stop. Just answer my question: areyou a student here or not?" Cedric demanded.

"I never enjoyed my time as a student here. And Dumbledore was annoyingly watchful of my every move."

"But you were a student here."

"Yes."

"And you knew the Headmaster."

"Glad to see your paying attention," the dark eyed youth said with sharp diction. "This school was to limiting. The teachers were too afraid to allow the students to truly explore everything magic had to offer, so I taught myself many things, tools that  
gave me power and knowledge."

"Why did you need power and knowledge?"

"Because I wanted to achieve my potential! I don't expect you to understand everything that I have achieved; things a boy such as yourself could never dream of! My parents never encouraged me much, and then this school did nothing but hold me back from  
learning about the things that brought me power! How can you be so proud of being a student here?"

"Proud?" Cedric said with a baffled expression.

"Yes, proud! I can tell just by the way you wear that silly badge."

"Look, I'm sorry if you didn't have a great time here-"

The boy growled, "No you're not."

"Excuse me?"

"You're not sorry. People never mean what they say."

"That's not true."

"So did you truly mean it when you said that you would never go out with Cho, your best friends crush since they met."

"What-"

"You said it yourself last night."

Cedric pointed his wand at his accuser as he spat out, "How could you know that! I was talking to him behind closed doors."

"Secrets are never really secrets…"

"ENOUGH GAMES! Who the hell are you?"

"You're right you know."

"Stop avoiding my questions! Right about what?"

"Cho probably likes you better anyway."

"I never said that I only thought-"

"No difference to me-"

"STOP! No, you're lying, everything you've said. You don't know anything."

The Slytherin boy responded, "You really think I don't know anything? Like I said before, you can't trust people, they never mean what they say."

"Enough of your riddles, tell me who you are - I could hex you if you don't," Cedric said.

"I'm done wasting my time, you're just like the rest of them."

"Excuse me what-"

"-and I'm not going to fight you. I have not even taken my wand out."

Cedric relaxed his aggressive stance as he said, "I didn't want to fight. I just want to know how you know so many things you have no business knowing."

"All I did was search for the knowledge that I wanted - you made it much too available…" the mysterious boy defended.

"That still doesn't make any sense, and I'm tired of this. If you're not a student here than what do you want?"

"I can't answer that, although I'm afraid you don't have what I'm looking for, so I should be on my way," the boy said passively.

Cedric lowered his wand as he said, "And what are you looking for?"

"Information on a certain someone, and someone I can use to get to them. But that's none of your concern, and if it was, you couldn't do anything about it anyway."

"Alright, but I still have no idea who you are."

"No, you don't."

Cedric demanded, "So tell me! What is your name?"

"Tom Riddle," the boy said with a smile before he turned the corner and left the other boy staring at nothing.


End file.
